CURMUDGUCATION: Reflect now. Now!! NOW!!! : Reflect now. Now!! NOW!!! One of the fully screwed-up features of modern standardized assessments is the time frame. A standardized test is the only place where students are told, "Starting from scratch, read this, reflect on it, answer questions about it, and do it all in the next fifteen minutes." We accept the accelerated time line as a normal featur
School Bus Driver Bus Rallies Her Community Around a Sock Drive for Needy Students : School Bus Driver Bus Rallies Community Around a Sock Drive for Needy Students Martha Alvarez (right) oversees donations generated by the Warm Toes Sock Drive. One morning last February, Martha Alvarez pulled out of the bus barn of Traverse City Area Public Schools in Northern Michigan as she’s done for almost tw
Neoliberalism: To Know It Is To Recognize It - The Crucial Voice of the PeopleThe Crucial Voice of the People : Neoliberalism: To Know It Is To Recognize It The term “neoliberalism” is not in my old college dictionary. And most people I’ve asked don’t know what it is. For that reason, the public is not been able to recognize the ideology behind many of our public policies… We have become victims
Massachusetts Teachers Association Calls for SEC Investigation of Possible “Pay to Play” Scheme | Diane Ravitch's blog : Massachusetts Teachers Association Calls for SEC Investigation of Possible “Pay to Play” Scheme Contact: Steve Crawford, Crawford Strategies, 857-753-4132, steve@crawfordstrategies.com Teachers Call for SEC Investigation into Possible Pay-to-Play Scheme BOSTON – Deeply trouble
Talk to the Hand - When Schools Dismiss Family Partnership - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom : Talk to the Hand – When Schools Dismiss Family Partnership At last Tuesday’s Board of Education Meeting , the African American Parent Advisory Council was asked to share an update of our work. I felt lucky to be able to present alongside some of the AMAZING parent leaders in our district! (In c
Texas pastor: ‘A classroom is a holy place of learning — not a marketplace of financial gain’ - The Washington Post : Texas pastor: ‘A classroom is a holy place of learning — not a marketplace of financial gain’ Charles Foster Johnson is the executive director of Pastors for Texas Children , an independent ministry and outreach group that comprises nearly 2,000 pastors and church leaders from acr
The Power of declaring #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool | I AM AN EDUCATOR : The Power of declaring #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool The hallways of Seattle schools were packed as always on Wednesday, October 19, but the difference was that thousands of teachers, students and staff were wearing similar t-shirts affirming Black lives. The Black Lives Matter at School day originated among teachers committed to s
L.A. Teachers' Union Challenges Charter School Lobby | Huffington Post : L.A. Teachers’ Union Challenges Charter School Lobby In a full-page advertisement in the Sunday October 23, 2016 edition of the Los Angeles Times , the union representing Los Angeles teachers, challenged the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) to a “public debate on key educational issues relating to equity, access
School Takeovers Outside Georgia Have Shown Mixed Results | WABE 90.1 FM : School Takeovers Outside Georgia Have Shown Mixed Results NNA BEECH / WABE Listen Listening... 4:30 Hear the broadcast version of this story. Georgia voters will decide this fall whether to give the state the authority to take over schools it labels “chronically failing.” The plan would create a separate, state-run distric
tomhayden.com - The Democracy Journal - On the Passing of Tom Hayden : ON THE PASSING OF TOM HAYDEN Tom Hayden speaking on Dec. 3, 2015, at a rally by environmentalists at Pershing Square in Los Angeles. On Sunday, October 23rd, 2016, Tom Hayden, former California politician and lifelong activist, passed away in Santa Monica, California surrounded by family. Hayden, beloved husband, father, and b
BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–Judge mysteriously, abruptly postpones closing arguments | : BRIDGEGATE TRIAL–Judge mysteriously, abruptly postpones closing arguments Federal Judge Susan D. Wigenton A simmering, closed-door legal argument over the judge’s charge in the Bridgegate trial this morning led to an abrupt and mysterious cancellation of the session that was supposed to see defense attorneys present the
Judge tosses suit challenging Minn. teacher tenure laws - StarTribune.com : Judge rejects challenge to Minnesota teacher tenure laws Lawsuit filed by education reform groups was third of its kind in the nation. In April, four families from across the state of Minnesota, joined by Partnership for Educational Justice and Students for Education Reform Minnesota, announced a lawsuit challenging the c
Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry | Alternet : Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry A report/ebook on the corporate takeover of K-12 schools. (Editor's note: AlterNet has covered the school privatization st
Lessons from NOLA: Ailing Mississippi district should be wary of charter schools - The Hechinger Report : Lessons from NOLA: Ailing Mississippi district should be wary of charter schools "Don’t allow a financial storm to be your Hurricane Katrina, the disaster that led to dismantling the public school system in New Orleans." CKSON, Miss. — From the outside, Forest Hill High School is a picture of
We will not demean and stigmatize transgender students - Lily's Blackboard : We will not demean and stigmatize transgender students The NEA and the North Carolina Association of Educators believe all students deserve the opportunity for a rich and fulfilling education, an opportunity that should begin with walking into a welcoming, safe and accepting space. That’s why we’ve vehemently opposed H.B
CURMUDGUCATION: The Death of Testing Fantasies : The Death of Testing Fantasies It is one of the least surprising research findings ever, confirmed now by at least two studies-- students would do better on the Big Standardized Test if they actually cared about the results. One of the great fantasies of the testocrats is their belief that the Big Standardized Tests provide useful data. That fantas
Schools Matter: Surveillance Capitalism and Your Children : Surveillance Capitalism and Your Children There are thousands of rapacious and predatory gatherers of data out there waiting to collect and sell your information and your children's information, whether it is behavioral, economic, intellectual, social, geographic, nutritional, and even emotional in nature. Follow this link (hat tip to Al
Republicans Have a Yuge Logic Problem | the becoming radical : Republicans Have a Yuge Logic Problem The new (and disgusting) face of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, has anchored his campaign on a foundational slogan he “inherited” from Ronald Reagan (like the millions he squandered from his father): Make America Great Again. Setting aside that Trump is either a liar (well, is a liar) or is i
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Bernie has the right line. Keep the heat on Clinton. : Bernie has the right line. Keep the heat on Clinton. “I will be vigorously in opposition, and I will make that very clear.” -- Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders just gave his millennial supporters (and the rest of us) the best reason not to stay home on election day. He wants us to be part of the movement that
California’s Tangled, Corrupt Charter School Sector | janresseger : California’s Tangled, Corrupt Charter School Sector Charter schools—created to embody the idea of innovation without the constraint of bureaucratic regulations—have been spreading across our cities for twenty years, and it has now become as clear as can be that, if we have to have privatized charter schools, we can’t do without t
Finland succeeds with no homework and fewer lessons - BBC News : Finland succeeds with no homework and fewer lessons "How come Finland has shorter days and no homework for students and yet is achieving more?" Why are we asking this? Because that's the subject that you've chosen - in an experiment where the readership picks the question. The question gets to the heart of a lot of parental angst ab
1 in 4 U.S. teachers are chronically absent, missing more than 10 days of school - The Washington Post : 1 in 4 U.S. teachers are chronically absent, missing more than 10 days of school More than 1 in 4 of the nation’s full-time teachers are considered chronically absent from school, according to federal data, missing the equivalent of more than two weeks of classes each academic year in what som
University opens without any teachers - BBC News : University opens without any teachers Value of teaching But he thinks 42 has gone too far by removing teachers altogether. His research suggests peer learning is most effective when students are under the supervision of an expert teacher. "The deep reason for a teacher is to guide students to grapple with exactly the complex, ambiguous, and tough
Do California parents want bilingual education? - CSMonitor.com : Do California parents want bilingual education? California's Proposition 58 would make it easier to teach English learners in bilingual programs. Parents now see these programs as a way to retain cultural ties and boost children's success later in life. Yes on Proposition 58 - (LEARN) | Support Prop 58 - http://supportprop58.com/su
Little changes | The Economist : George W. Bush and Barack Obama made school reform a priority. The next president will look elsewhere FOR a president, making education policy can be like running a school with thousands of unruly pupils. He can goad states and coax school districts, offering gold stars to those who shape up. But if a class is defiant he can do little. Just 12.7% of the $600bn spe
Close schools because of poor test scores? Michiganders say no : Close schools because of poor test scores? Michiganders say no Michigan residents who participated in a poll earlier this month overwhelmingly oppose closing schools based solely on test scores, believe there are other ways to fix low-performing schools, and say parents should have input in the school closing process. The results of
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/26/16 Featured Post What We Don’t Learn About the Black Panther Party—but Should | I AM AN EDUCATOR CURMUDGUCATION: More Bogus Research from Rocketship by mike simpson /
